A Republican challenger to Sen. Hillary Clinton has apparently been reading Jessica McBucher’s blogspot. Former Reagan-era Pentagon official Kathleen "KT" McFarland told a group of Republican activists: "Hillary Clinton is really worried about me, and is so worried, in fact, that she had helicopters flying over my house in Southampton today taking pictures."

Her comments were confirmed by Suffolk County Republican chairman Harry Withers.

It was rumored that she then began to list a number of fringe “communist” groups who have been spying on her as well. She said that if President Bush were to listen in on their telephone conversations, her fears would be confirmed.

Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson denied any spying was going on. "We at the Hillary campaign wish Ms. McFarland the best and hope she gets the rest she needs," he said. He also said, "Some campaigns hand out campaign buttons; the McFarland campaign hands out tinfoil hats with antennas."

We here at “The Other Side” recommend she stop feeding her conspiracy theories by reading McBucher’s blog.

The latest news from McBucher is that failure to use signal lights when changing lanes on the freeway is actually code that communist groups use to help them infiltrate Friday night fish fries.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

A 15-year-old boy was severely beaten by four to five males about 1:50 p.m. near a bus stop at 1st and Center Sts., according to Milwaukee police.The youth died about 3 p.m., police said. The victim was a seventh-grader at Malcolm X Academy, according to Phil Harris, a Milwaukee Public Schools spokesman.

Just a posting that affected my emotional well being. No reporting done here, guys.

The sequel to "You Darn JS, You Excised the Extremists Again" is hot off the presses at Jessica McBucher's Media Matters. Entitled "You Double Darn JS, You Excised the Extremists Again," McBucher's new piece is two to three times as long as the previous entry and says, ultimately the same thing. Average people like you and me cannot make up our own minds without help from Jessica and David Horowitz (though she left out links to him this time to throw us and make it look like she actually did her own work).Later at this blog, a discussion on a little known possibility ... are Eva Braun and Jessica McBucher related?

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

H/t to John Sugg for this. I'll just reprint it in its entirety ... it's that good. By the way, this guy is a blogger journalist. You guys on the conservative side of the aisle who think you are ... you're not!

If you didn't catch the Boston Legal episode this week, you missed a speech delivered by James Spader, one that few in Congress -- other than Russell Feingold, Tom Harkin and Robert Byrd -- would make. The link is at: http://www.boston-legal.org/

But, it's been up and down. The text is below. It's worth saluting.

Alan Shore's closing argument

Alan Shore: When the weapons of mass destruction thing turned out to be not true, I expected the American people to rise up. Ha! They didn't.

Then, when the Abu Ghraib torture thing surfaced and it was revealed that our government participated in rendition, a practice where we kidnap people and turn them over to regimes who specialize in torture, I was sure then the American people would be heard from. We stood mute.

Then came the news that we jailed thousands of so-called terrorists suspects, locked them up without the right to a trial or even the right to confront their accusers. Certainly, we would never stand for that. We did.

And now, it's been discovered the executive branch has been conducting massive, illegal, domestic surveillance on its own citizens. You and me. And I at least consoled myself that finally, finally the American people will have had enough. Evidentially, we haven't.

In fact, if the people of this country have spoken, the message is we're okay with it all. Torture, warrantless search and seizure, illegal wiretappings, prison without a fair trial - or any trial, war on false pretenses. We, as a citizenry, are apparently not offended.

There are no demonstrations on college campuses. In fact, there's no clear indication that young people seem to notice.

Well, Melissa Hughes noticed. Now, you might think, instead of withholding her taxes, she could have protested the old fashioned way. Made a placard and demonstrated at a Presidential or Vice-Presidential appearance, but we've lost the right to that as well. The Secret Service can now declare free speech zones to contain, control and, in effect, criminalize protest.

Stop for a second and try to fathom that.

At a presidential rally, parade or appearance, if you have on a supportive t-shirt, you can be there. If you are wearing or carrying something in protest, you can be removed.

This, in the United States of America. This in the United States of America. Is Melissa Hughes the only one embarrassed?

*Alan sits down abruptly in the witness chair next to the judge*

Judge Robert Sanders: Mr. Shore. That's a chair for witnesses only.

Alan: Really long speeches make me so tired sometimes.

Judge Sanders: Please get out of the chair.

Alan: Actually, I'm sick and tired.

Judge Sanders: Get out of the chair!

Alan: And what I'm most sick and tired of is how every time somebody disagrees with how the government is running things, he or she is labeled unAmerican.

U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shapiro: Evidentally, it's speech time.

Alan: And speech in this country is free, you hack! Free for me, free for you. Free for Melissa Hughes to stand up to her government and say "Stick it"!

U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shapiro: Objection!

Alan: I object to government abusing its power to squash the constitutional freedoms of its citizenry. And, God forbid, anybody challenge it. They're smeared as being a heretic. Melissa Hughes is an American. Melissa Hughes is an American. Melissa Hughes is an American!

Judge Sanders: Mr. Shore. Unless you have anything new and fresh to say, please sit down. You've breached the decorum of my courtroom with all this hooting.

Alan: Last night, I went to bed with a book. Not as much fun as a 29 year old, but the book contained a speech by Adlai Stevenson. The year was 1952. He said, "The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live and fear breeds repression. Too often, sinister threats to the Bill of Rights, to freedom of the mind are concealed under the patriotic cloak of anti-Communism."

Today, it's the cloak of anti-terrorism. Stevenson also remarked, "It's far easier to fight for principles than to live up to them."

I know we are all afraid, but the Bill of Rights - we have to live up to that. We simply must.

That's all Melissa Hughes was trying to say. She was speaking for you. I would ask you now to go back to that room and speak for her.

Ann Coulter, the darling of the right-wing nuts and of Patrick McIlheran (he calls her witty in the same mean way as Maureen Dowd -- whatever) has this column titled "Revenge of the Queers" at WorldNetDaily. In her column she welcomes Claude Allen, an African-American top administration official for 4 ½ years to her world, the world of those hated by the New York Times.

A couple of things: The New York Times is not the only institution that hates Ann Coulter … just one of many.

And this is funny, she says: “I'm sorry it took a tough period in Allen's life for the New York Times to feature him under a banner headline on its front page, but all in all, I'm glad to finally know about Claude Allen. I'm proud to have this great fellow sinner in our party.”

A tough period? He was caught (well, accused of…) stealing!

It’s hilarious. Not even shoplifting can change the attitude of conservatives toward one of there own. The party of crooks has added another.

Apparently, some on the Left feel that it's inappropriate to expose the actual rhetoric and affiliations behind the "peace" groups behind the war referendums and Cindy Sheehan. They want to intimidate people into silence through their typical namecalling because they know that the average individual will reject the extremism if it's exposed. I simply reprinted what these groups have said and discussed who they admittedly are. But certain far-left bloggers think it's somehow "McCarthyism" to write about what these groups say and who they align with. These groups aren't embarrassed to be affiliated with Communists. They are quite vocal about it and proud of it! Keep trying guys. Like Paul says, it's the equivalent of getting lectured by inmates in the jail. So, thanks! (Oh, and the Lenin flag was for you.)

Ooh, that hurts. Last I heard, conservatives were crowing about the fall of Communism. It can't be that big of a threat anymore and also, last I knew, being a Communist in this country is not illegal.

In my original post, I simply pointed out that her information regarding these groups came from a former self-proclaimed Marxist who is now one of the worst of the mud-slinging right-wingers, David Horowitz. So, who to believe?

But I guess it's all right to sling mud, just not to receive it. Regarding your comment about inmates, Paulie boy should know, he's at their level.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

At his news conference today, President Bush called the censure resolution “needless partisanship.” Bush challenged Democrats to go into the November midterm elections in opposition to eavesdropping on suspected terrorists. “They ought to stand up and say, ‘The tools we’re using to protect the American people should not be used,”’ Bush said.

What a bastard! No one is saying he can't use the tools available to protect Americans. What we are saying is: Use the tools in a legal manner.

Jessica McBucher has a banal piece (among many) about the anti-war referendums sweeping the country, that Paul Soglin correctly labels as “red-baiting.”

As usual, McBucher blames the media for not doing enough to inform people about these referendums. Umm, well ... My only question is, if you don’t deny there are average and well-meaning Wisconsinites involved in the push for referendums, then what’s your point. Are you saying these people are not intelligent enough to make their own decisions on what groups to join, and who to protest with if this is what they choose.

Hmmm? Are you trying to say that these people are not as smart as you because, gasp, they don’t believe the same nonsense as you.

You are just a Joe McCarthy wannabe in a skirt. And by the way, you managed to excise the name of the leader of the group you use as a source for your innuendos. His name is David Horowitz, an extreme right-wing apologist who has said:

Regarding Cindy Sheehan: "It's very hard to have respect for a woman whoexploits the death of her own son and doesn't respect her own son's life. Sheportrays him as an idiot."

Regarding the late Peter Jennings: "Peter Jennings is dead, may he rest inpeace. Lest we forget, however, while he was alive Peter Jennings didconsiderable damage to the cause of civilization and human decency by hissympathy for Jew-hating terrorists and their supporters."

Regarding Democrats in general: Democrats, media are "getting Americanskilled in Iraq ... because of their pathological hatred of George [W.] Bush.

David Horowitz proudly proclaims that he is an ex-Marxist, implying, I guess, that this makes him an expert. To me, the only thing he is an expert at is an inability to make up his mind.

As for his last comment, funny, I thought bombs and bullets were killing our soldiers … as well as George Bush. He’s the one who sent them there under false pretenses.

Spivak and Bice would like us to believe that bloggers are just people who wish they were in print ...

...that all they want to do is go mainstream and make a buck says one bloggerquoted by the Long Island, N.Y., daily:" Every so-called professional blogger Iknow wants to work for print," says Melissa Lafsky, 27, a lawyer whose popularblog at Opinionistas.com led to her finding a book agent, quitting her biglaw-firm job and starting a novel based on her blog. "There's stillthat desire for legitimacy. I'll admit it: I'll feel like a real writerwhen I have something published in print. 'Til then, I feel I'm faking it. Mostbloggers I've talked to feel the same way."

There's something to be said for that. Right-wing bloggers James Wigderson, Owen Robinson, Rick Esenberg and Dean Mundy all have columns in local newspapers ... I hope they're getting paid. I know of no local progressive bloggers with columns. In any case, I've no doubt that others would like to be heard regularly as well.

I don't. I have a degree in journalism, but soured on it many years ago. I would not mind someday writing that elusive fiction novel ... it will happen ... but in the meanwhile this is fine.

I wonder if it isn't so much being in print, however, but being read. I tell myself that it makes no difference that there are few comments made on my site. The site is relatively new and I am gaining links from other sites slowly and surely (more slowly). But then, I do look every day to see if comments have been made.

That I have managed to continue this for over two months, though, is pretty exciting. And, I have had e-mail conversations with some interesting people, and with one complete moron. It's after exchanging communications with this idiot for a couple days that my faith in mankind was restored to an extent. I had become quite cynical. After my encounter with this piece of horse dung, nothing looked quite as bad as it did.

Oh, did I mention, it feels good to vent publicly too. Because, in a sense, these blogs are the public squares of old. I feel the power when I type and press the "publish" button ... in much the same way, I imagine, that orators of the past felt when climbing up on their soapbox and heads turned to listen.

Revolutions were begun by people like that. Be proud bloggers ... we are revolutionary in our own way. Just don't get too carried away by self-importance. You know who you are.

This letter from Bill Frist appears at DailyKos. I won't reprint the entire letter, but one portion of it is very funny (c-below) ... Frist's response to (purported memo) saying that Democrats should use military settings as backdrops for speeches and such.

In case Senate Democrats do not know, it is illegal to hold political events atmilitary bases. Not to mention despicable to use the military and theirfamilies in this way.

No kidding Dr. Longe Range Diagnosis. But ... hmmm ... when was the last time that Bush and Cheney were not seen speaking in front of a military audience that was being used as backdrop for their speech?

Then, Frist says:

If the Democrats wanted to truly help our troops they wouldn't advocatecutting-and-running from Iraq, they wouldn't call for a censure vote ofPresident Bush and they wouldn't ingratiate themselves with the Michael Moorewing of their own Party.

Yeah, and maybe you can get your personal TV station, Faux News, to quit trotting out the Ann Coulter wing of your party.

Sunday, March 19, 2006

I always think it funny that conservatives and conservative bloggers like to complain that the MSM never prints stories about items imporant to conservatives and conservative bloggers. And if they do, it is never enough.

Did it ever occur to them that maybe, just maybe, they're only important in their own minds. The MSM is not required to report on every single story. The placement of a story and it's importance for their publication is their decision.

Conservatives and conservative bloggers spend more time complaining about the MSM in one day than the MSM does covering their antics in one entire year. Duh...there's a reason. You're no big deal.